The Bootstrapped Founder 427: Vibe Coding Won't Kill SaaS
Dec 12, 2025
The narrative that vibe coding will kill SaaS is exaggerated. It's not just about the software; the real value lies in the service and customer interactions that make it work. Vibe-coded solutions often fail when faced with real customers due to unforeseen complexities. The concept of 'comprehension debt' highlights the risks of losing internal knowledge with AI-generated code. Founders need to make the often-invisible work visible and demonstrate the true costs of building versus buying.
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Products Aren't Businesses
- Vibe coding creates product-like artifacts but not businesses that survive customer complexity.
- Arvid Kahl argues businesses need service, operations, and customer experience beyond code.
Service, Not Software, Is The Moat
- SaaS value lies in the service and ongoing operations, not just the shipped software.
- Arvid Kahl stresses years of edge-case handling and integrations constitute most SaaS value.
Assumptions Break Under Real Customers
- Vibe-coded apps break when real customer requests force assumption changes.
- Arvid Kahl warns AI-built projects struggle to adapt to new integrations and edge cases.